Hydrangea chungii Rehder

One of the present authors (Bartholomew) believes that this species is not distinct from Hydrangea chungii.

Shrubs small, 0.3-0.7 m tall. Branchlets densely spreading, terete, translucent roughly villous when young, glabrescent; bark pale, easily peeled off. Petiole thick, 1-4 cm; leaf blade elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 12-20 × 4.5-8.5 cm, membranous, both surfaces densely roughly villous, abaxially more densely so, secondary veins 8-10 on both sides of midvein, slightly prominent on both surfaces, base narrowly to broadly cuneate, margin roughly serrate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences corymbose cymes, 11-15 cm wide, densely roughly villous; peduncle short; branches 3, subequal. Sterile flowers with sepals 3 or 4, suborbicular to broadly orbicular, 1.5-1.7 × 1.5-2 cm in fruit, apex rounded to emarginate. Fertile flowers with calyx tube ca. 1.5 mm, pubescent; teeth triangular, ca. 1 mm. Petals blue-purple, elliptic, ca. 2 mm in bud. Stamens 10, subequal. Ovary less than 1/2 superior. Styles 3 or 4, spreading, 1-1.5 mm in fruit; stigmas subcapitate to nearly hemispheric. Capsule subglobose, 2.5-3 mm in diam., projected apical part 0.7-1 mm, shorter than calyx tube. Seeds brown, broadly obovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 0.3-0.4 mm, wingless or sometimes shortly winged at both ends; seed coat net veined. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Sep-Oct.

Shrubs ca. 1 m tall. Young branchlets, petioles, peduncles, and pedicels densely yellowish pubescent. Branchlets yellowish, terete, glabrescent. Petiole thick, 2-3 cm; leaf blade elliptic to obovate-oblong, 7-19.5 × 2.5-8.5 cm, membranous, both surfaces pubescent, more densely so abaxially, secondary veins 7-9 on both sides of midvein, slender, abaxially slightly prominent, base broadly cuneate, margin roughly long serrate, apex caudate-acuminate. Inflorescences corymbose cymes, to 13 cm wide in fruit, apex slightly arcuate; peduncle short; branches 3, subequal. Sterile flowers with sepals (3 or)4(or 5), suborbicular to broadly orbicular, 1.2-1.7 × 1.1-2 cm, margin entire or apically few denticulate. Fertile flowers small. Calyx tube ca. 1 mm; teeth triangular, 0.5-0.8 mm. Petals purple, long ovate, 3-3.5 mm. Stamens 10, 3-5 mm. Ovary less than 1/2 superior. Capsule subglobose, 1.5-2 mm in diam., projected apical part 0.5-0.7 mm, ca. 1/3 as long as capsule body. Seeds brownish, oblong to globose, 0.4-0.5 × 0.3-0.4 mm, wingless or sometimes shortly winged at one or both ends; seed coat net veined. Fl. Jun, fr. Oct.

NW Fujian.

E Jiangxi (Lichuan Xian).

* Dense forests or thickets on mountain slopes or on trailsides; 200-800 m.

* Bamboo forests; 600-700 m.

Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunberg) Seringe subsp. chungii (Rehder) E. M. McClintock.